Category: Budgeting

Ready for a cool budgeting tool? Meet the zero based budgeting template!

(I sometimes call it a reality-based budget too, because it helps you manage your money in a way that actually works in the real world. Getting real in a nice way!)

You can get your copy of the printable zero based budgeting form here for free later on in this article. But first I want to talk a little bit about how to budget and — more importantly — why budgeting can change your finances for the better.

Let’s start with this: What IS zero based budgeting anyway?

If you’re not already familiar with the term, a zero-based budget is where you account for all of your money each month. The idea is to plan out where your money will go, so that it goes where you want it to. Read more

Budgeting isn’t just about the numbers. Learning how to make a monthly budget is fairly simple once you actually sit down and DO it a few times. (Here’s a free budget template if you want one.) Instead, budgeting is about sticking to the plan once you’ve created it.

That’s what’s likely to give folks trouble.

Why? Well, anyone can look at $2500 in monthly take-home pay, for example, and realize that they’ve got a maximum of $2500 a month to spend.

But it’s a lot more difficult to emotionally recognize the financial impact of all the unplanned day-to-day spending on the big picture. Read more